Wire brush for railroad switches



Nov. 26, 1963 J. E. coMEAu WIRE BRUSH FOR RAILROAD SWITCHES Filed Oct. 9, 1961 Inventor @122: E. COMEAU Attorney 3 3,111,699 Patented Nov. 26, 1963 ice 3,111,699 WIRE BRUSH FOR RAILRGAD SWITCHES Joseph E. Comeau, C.N.R. Station, St. Stanislas, Comte Champlain, Quebec, Canada Filed Oct. 9, 1961, Ser. No. 143,735 8 Claims. (1. 15-159) This invention relates to a broom, particularly a broom adapted for sweeping railroad switches.

In the wintertime, railroad switches have to be kept clear of snow and ice and for this purpose, a broom having stiff bristles of vegetable fibre is used. A broom of this type is satisfactory, but the service is so heavy that bristles wear out fast, and the brooms have constantly to be replaced. Continual replacement means relatively heavy expense for this particular operation, and the inefficiency of running out of supplies presents a problem.

The applicant has now developed a broom which is particularly useful for railroad switches and which is actually more effective than the fibre bristled broom, and which outlasts the latter many times. Briefly, the applicants broom is made up of a handle, a solid head rigidly connected to the handle, and as bristles a plurality of fiat strips or tongues of material rooted in the head and projecting therefrom. The tongues are preferably set in rows with their flat faces facing sideways, in respect of the broom hea d, that is, edgewise to the normal direction of sweeping. Preferably, these tongues are deformed at the root-ends so as to resist retraction -from the head.

The head is preferably made from a thermosetting plastic material, in which the roots of the tongues are embedded when the material is in plastic condition, and so as to become firmly set in the head, when the plastic is cured. It can also be made from rubber or synthetic rubber or wood.

The broom is used primarily for railroad switches. The bristles have been found to be sufficiently supple for brushing and exhibit tremendous resistance to wear as compared with the normal bristles of vegetable fibre, which are in general use for this purpose. This means that a brush will outlast the vegetable fibre brush many times.

Detailed Description Having generally described the invention, it will now be referred to in more detail by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred constructions are shown, and in which FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of broom, in accordance with the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a front elevation partly in section of the broom of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an end view of a tongue, showing the retaining or anchoring tabs.

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation of a tongue.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary cross-section along the lines 55 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of another form of broom, in accordance with the invention.

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view, showing the other side of the broom of FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 8 is a cross-section along the line 8-8 of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary transverse cross-section taken down through the center of the broom of FIG- URES 6 to 8.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the preferred form of broom shown in FIGURE 1 is made up of a Wooden handle A, rigidly connected to a head B of plastic material. The head A is provided on its upper 2 end with a sleeve 15 and a picking or scraping blade 17, which projects beyond the handle and has a portion embedded in the handle inside the sleeve 15.

Embedded in the bottom part of the head are a plurality of the flat metal tongues C, arranged, as shown, in rows with their flat portions facing sideways in respect to the head B and their roots embedded in the head. Preferably, each tongue has tabs 19 on the end of its root to prevent retraction. The head is of molded plastic in which the tongues are inserted while the material is in plastic condition, so that when the material sets, the bristles are firmly held in place.

While a preferred construction is using a plastic material, as shown, a broom according to the invention can be made of a wooden head. Such a broom is shown in FIGURES 6 and following. In this case, the head is made of a number of larninations of wood 31 and the head is faced with sheet metal 33.

In this case, the bristles C4 are inserted, as shown, between the larninations. This broom is serviceable in practice, although the applicant prefers the plastic head, as giving advantages in manufacture and in use.

The handle A may be attached to the head in any suitable manner. For example, in the form of the invention shown in FIGURE '1, a wooden handle A is embedded in the plastic material with a double-ended screw having one end of a threaded shank embedded in the plastic and the other end screwed into the end of the handle A. In the case of the form of the invention shown in FIGURES 6 and following, the end of the handle A is suitably fitted in an opening left in the laminations 31 and a pin extends through the end of the handle and into the sheeting 33 while a sleeve forming an extension of the sheeting 33 encircles the handle be yond the head.

Preferably, the tongues are of galvanized tempered steel 7 of an inch wide by 0.018 inch thick. The length of the tongues is preferably about 8 inches but can vary from about 5 to about 10 inches. The tongues may vary from about of an inch to about A of an inch in width, from about 0.012 to about 0.032 inch thick and may range from about 5 to about 10 inches in length. The length of the tongues varies with the rails. For example, for pound rails, the 7 inch length is preferable and for 132 pound rails, the 9 or 10 inch length is preferable. While galvanized steel is preferable, plain steel or stainless steel can be used, but the latter would be somewhat expensive and rigid.

The preferred plastic for the head is an epoxy resin, for example, those sold under the trademarks Epon 828 and X-7l. A curing agent T-l is used during the manufacture of the head, and to cure the plastic quickly. The plastic may also be any col-or desired, as will be clear to one skilled in the art. A filler can be used in the plastic, for example, aluminum oxide, from about 50 to about 323 parts per atomized aluminum from about 25 parts to 2-00 parts per 100; iron powder from about 50 parts to about 300 parts per 100; copper powder from about 25 parts per 100 to about 1200 parts per J00; and silica or atomite, from about 25 to about parts per 100. The fillers may be used to decrease the cost of the plastic material, but also have the effect of decreasing its impact strength. The color can be achieved by adding suitable pigments. If desired, rubber or synthetic rubber of a suitable hardness can be used for the head although this tends to be more expensive than the thermosetting plastic material of the type mentioned.

I claim:

1. A broom, comprising, a handle, a solid head connected to the handle and a plurality of rectangular-shaped metal strips extending from the head to form a cluster of flexible metal tongues constituting sweeping bristles, each of the tongues having a minor root portion set in the head and a major stem pontion projecting from the head, the tongues being mounted in spaced relation in the head so as to present their widest dimensions in parallel rows transversely of the widest dimension of the head.

2. A broom, as defined in claim 1, in which the end portion of the root of each metal strip is twisted at an angle to the normal plane of the tongue, so as to anchor it in the head.

3. A broom, as defined in claim 1, in which the solid head is of a cured plastic material in which the roots of the tongues are imbedded 4. A broom, as defined in claim 1, in which the head is Wood in which the roots of the tongues are embedded.

5. A broom, as defined in claim 1, in which the head is of plywood, in which the plies extend in the direction of the head having the greatest width, the roots of the tongues being embedded between the plies, the head being covered with sheet metal.

6. A broom, comprising, a handle, a solid head connected thereto having a breadth greater than its width and a bristle presenting face, a plurality of bristles extending from said face in the form of flat flexible tongues, each tongue being a discrete metallic strip, said tongues being aligned in parallel rows with their faces facing breadthwise in relation to the head.

7. A broom, comprising, a handle, a solid head of plastic material connected to the handle and a plurality of rectangular-shaped metal strips extending from the head to form a cluster of flexible tongues constituting sweeping bristles, each of said tongues having a minor root portion twisted at an angle to the normal plane of the tongue and embedded in the head and a major stem portion projecting from the base, the tongues being mounted in spaced relation in the head so as to present their widest dimensions in parallel rows transversely of the widest dimension of said broom head.

8. A broom, comprising, a handle, a solid head of plywood in which the plies extend in the widest dimension of the head, and a plurality of rectangular-shaped metal strips extending from said head and forming a cluster of flexible tongues constituting sweeping bristles, each of said tongues having a minor root pontion set in said head wherein the roots of said tongues are embedded between the plies, and a major stem portion projecting from said head, said tongues being mounted in spaced relation in said head so as to present their widest dimensions in parallel rows transversely of the widest dimension of said broom head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 596,793 Schmidt Jan. 4, 1898 1,028,182 Bemis June 4, 1912 1,408,763 Morrison Mar. 7, 1922 1,487,382 Henning et al Mar. 18, 1924 1,680,197 'Bateman Aug. 7, 1928 2,689,968 Rissler Sept. 28, 1954 

1. A BROOM, COMPRISING, A HANDLE, A SOLID HEAD CONNECTED TO THE HANDLE AND A PLURALITY OF RECTANGULAR-SHAPED METAL STRIPS EXTENDING FROM THE HEAD TO FORM A CLUSTER OF FLEXIBLE METAL TONGUES CONSTITUTING SWEEPING BRISTLES, EACH OF THE TONGUES HAVING A MINOR ROOT PORTION SET IN THE HEAD AND A MAJOR STEM PORTION PROJECTING FROM THE HEAD, THE TONGUES BEING MOUNTED IN SPACED RELATION IN THE HEAD SO AS TO PRESENT THEIR WIDEST DIMENSIONS IN PARALLEL ROWS TRANSVERSELY OF THE WIDEST DIMENSION OF THE HEAD. 